For four albums, the duo of Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto have been the experimentalists' experimentalists, cutting and pasting found sounds into shapeshifting tones and rhythms, often resulting in music that's at least as challenging as navigating the band's website.

The Way Out, which begins and ends with samples from self-help recordings, covers a lot of ground using samples of everything from congas to Ghandi, and commingling them with Zamuto's vocals, and in their own whimsical way the Books' collages are emotional sucker-punches: You never know, as de Jong and Zammuto bend the context of their raw material, whether you will be shocked or amused.

Elsewhere: Residencies end for Chasing Kings (at the Silverlake Lounge, with Francisco the Man, Woolen and Jake Troth), Black Apples (at the Echo, with Jail Weddings, My Pet Saddle and Dante Vs Zombie) and Dirt Dress (at Spaceland, with Oh Darling). Also: Standing Shadows and Death Kit at the Troubadour; the Rescues at the Hotel Cafe; John Macy & the Heavy Hand at the Mint; Cloudhanger at the Viper Room; Phil Alvin at the Redwood Bar; and Corima at Pehrspace.